The state of the presidency

As is always the case with a nominally liberal president, like Barack Obama, there are expected to be carrots to be had for progressives in tonight’s State of the Union address.

There is to be planned spending on education and high-tech transit options, clean energy and broadband. But what was is not to be said and what he is expected to offer to counter his small gifts to his liberal base speak much more loudly about this White House.

First, Obama is expected to continue his deficit-hawk rhetoric, calling for a five-year freeze on some categories of spending. But more importantly, the president will leave out some of the most important issues facing the nation — the two wars that we seem incapable of extricating ourselves from, immigration, the proliferation of unnecessary handguns and rifles and the need for serious structural economic reform.

Centrism at its unfortunate best, I guess.

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Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet